Encounter
by FreakyInker
Summary: *Teaser* Severus Snape finds himself in an unfortunate situation...and it's about to get a whole lot worse. Even he has trouble believing the things he'll do for "the greater good". A one-shot with the potential for more. Rated 'M' for language.


**As promised, I have started a full-length cross-over fic based (loosely) on the scene below. It is titled "Convergence" and if you like what you see here, you'll love this. Thanks for your reviews and support!**

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This is a snippet of what _could be _a much larger story. Take a minute to read and let me know if you'd be interested in a full-length version.

**I do not own these character's. They are the property of their respective creator's, and I merely like to place them in increasing ridiculous situations. **

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Bold, bright lights flashed in the otherwise cavernously dark room while hot, sweat drenched bodies pressed far too close for him to be comfortable. And if that wasn't bad enough, Severus Snape could do more than hear the colossally horrific cacophony of mind-numbing electronic beats that, for whatever reason, was being classified as music, he could feel the loud thrum pounding in his head and reverberating through his chest. Forget his ears; they would likely never recover from such an assault.

He pushed his way through the crush of under-dressed, over-heated bodies, forcing them away physically when a glare wouldn't suffice until finally he made it to the relative calm of the bar.

A club would never be his ideal place to gather information, much less one such as this. And while he was not at all pleased with where his current business had brought him, he could at least be happy that he didn't stand out. It seemed that black clothing against pale skin was not as out of place in the muggle world as it currently was among fellow wizards.

Thank the Gods for small favors.

With little trouble he found a vacant stool. He moved to sit, but quickly decided against it. Never mind that red vinyl was hardly an attractive choice for any situation, but the rigid edges of the torn cover threatened any material it came into contact with. Severus saw no gain in sacrifices his black trousers, and chose instead to remain standing.

He snapped, a sound that couldn't be heard, but he soon enough gained the attention of the obviously strung-out young man tending the bar. And when he made a move to come nearer, Severus simply nodded towards the wall of whisky. He'd rather not interact with the employees and it didn't really matter what kind of whisky he was given as he doubted any of it would be as good as he was used to.

Seeming to sense Severus' desire to be left alone, the bartender poured a shot and slid it across the bar rather than carry it. Severus snagged it, throwing a few euros on the bar top, and turned, drink in hand, to face the crowd.

How he was supposed to find any one person in here was beyond him. Of course he wasn't really looking for one person, but for one particular type of person, and then only if he used the term "person" loosely. He peered out from over his glass as he took a deep sip from the contents.

With dark, keen eyes, Severus let his gaze sweep across the dance floor. He watched the crowed, some bouncing, others moving with some semblance of rhythm, while others still looking nearly like they were fornicating.

Severus felt a scowl pull at his lips. There was, unfortunately, probably some truth to that last thought. But his eyes did not dwell on any one place for too long. He was looking for someone, or rather _something, _specific. Something that would thrive in this type of chaotic environment.

"You look like a lion stalking an antelope."

The comment took him off guard. He was so busy scoping the swaying masses that he hadn't realized he'd been approached.

_Brilliant spy he was…_

He swung his head, rather abruptly, and found a petite blonde looking back at him with nearly as much suspicion as he gave her. Small, blonde and, by the sounds of it, American.

That didn't seem right.

Tourists were not common in East End dives like this, preferring the brighter and decidedly more friendly parts of London. And taking in her bright pink halter-top and form-fitting white slacks, a local she most certainly was not.

"Isn't that what people do in places like this; stalk prey?" His voice was smooth and silky even as he was forced to shout over the frantic music.

He thought for the briefest of moments that if he weren't there on business, he would very much like end the night with a woman like the one who stood before him. But he was on business, and even if he weren't, a women like that would never looked twice at a man like Severus.

The blond eyed him and he got the distinct impression that she was searching for something, though for what, he couldn't say. And just before he could tell her to bugger off, she shrugged and moved on.

_Odd..._

Shaking off the strange encounter, Severus turn once again to peer out over the club but quickly realized that from his vantage point he'd never find what he was looking for. So with a single, smooth motion, he pushed himself off of the bar and moved onto the crowded floor.

It was every bit as horrible as he had imagined. Bodies were pressed tightly together, arms, backs, chests all sliding together forming an oppressive heat that clung to everything. And it was either move with the mass or be unwittingly shoved to the parameter. And so move he did.

Hands roaming the nearest hips, grinding, twisting and turning, switching partners every few beats and cringing each time he felt hands that were not his own slide across him – some light, other gripping – Severus moved until he found himself in the midst of the pulsing sea of sweaty, drunken muggles.

Sweaty, drunken muggles and at least one vampire.

He knew instantly when his eyes connected with his prize. Even under the disjointed strobe lights, she was obvious, and he sighed in relief as he wiped a rivulet of sweat from his eye.

Pressed up against her unknowing prey, she danced along with the increasingly bold tempo that vibrated from massive speakers. Moving like water she displaying unmatched grace. Her pale skin glowed with strange luminescence under the flashing lights and her hair cascaded down her back like in dark, silky strands, completely unaffected by the drowning humidity. And regardless of the heat, not even the tiniest bead of perspiration marred her nearly perfect face.

Severus was aware that he was staring, but was hardly worried. Her attention was completely wrapped around the young man with whom she danced. The poor bloke had no idea what he'd gotten himself into.

So he moved closer all the while strategizing, planning his next move. He'd found what he was looking for, but how did he get her away from the crowd?

As if in answer to an unspoken prayer, the vampire stopped dancing and, gripping her very willing prey by the arm, began to move towards the back of the club.

Severus followed, keeping several bodies between himself and the female vampire, but it hardly mattered. She only had eyes for the man she was with and Severus thought his precautions were probably unnecessary.

Still, it never hurt to be wary.

Once at the back of the club, the vampire did a quick peek around, her flashing eyes glancing over Severus, unseeing and unconcerned. Satisfied with whatever she did or didn't see, she smile warmly at her companion before pushing open a nondescript door. Severus attempted to gain his bearings and decided that the door led off to the side…likely to an ally.

They both disappeared, but before the door clicked behind them, Severus removed his wand, keeping it hidden under his coat, and followed them outside.

He was right, it was an ally. Narrow and dark, which might normally put him off, but he considered it fortuitous. Not only was it easy to see that the only two people occupying it were those he had followed, but it was unlikely that a stray muggle would wander along to muck everything up.

The man had the vampire pressed against a dank, brink wall very near a dumpster, and Severus couldn't help the disgusted sneer that spread across his face. Not only did the dumb twit have his tongue shoved down the throat of what really equated to little more than a corpse, but their chosen location left much to be desired even if one could ignore the smell emanating from the overflowing bin.

He could hear the sloppy wet sound of kissing, soft moans, a gasp. He sighed inwardly and rolled his eyes as he stepped away from the building and moved in their direction while considering his next move.

The man slid his hands up the vampire's side and pressed into her. The site reminded Severus of roaming the halls of Hogwarts looking for after-hours miscreants. He'd found more than one student it a similar, compromising position.

And just as if they were his students, He loomed up behind them, sneering wickedly.

Because of his position, the vampire noticed him first and let out a very feminine and slightly frightened gasp. Such a human sound to come from a monster, and it was enough to make him rethink his original theory. That was not a sound he would expect from a vampire.

_Perhaps he had been wrong?_

At her gasp, the man turned and looked very surprised to find Severus standing there. Instantly his face twisted in rage, though he was far too drunk to look intimidating.

"Hey, mate, why don't you find some other ally to creep around in! This one's occupied."

The man was short, and Severus was forced to bend so that he could properly level a menacing look. But he wouldn't be Professor Snape if he couldn't manage that. "You need to leave…Now…"

The man reacted in exactly the way Severus had hoped. He took a step away and stammered. "Wha…is….is she your girlfriend? I..I…I didn't know!"

Not exactly what Severus had been going for, but he could work with it.

"I will repeat this only once more. Leave." Though his voice was even and smooth as ever, no one would be able to deny the threat laced between his words.

And true to form, the man stumbled over an attempt to apologize before scrambling out of the ally.

That was easy. Severus whipped back around to look into the face of a now very amused looking woman.

"You chased off my plaything." Her voice was a little too high and a little too loud and it grated on Severus' senses. "But that's okay. I think I'd rather fool around with you."

Severus cringed. "And by 'fool around' am I to assume you mean '_eat'_?"

The woman looked a little shocked at Severus' bold statement, but the moment passed and soon enough, she laughed.

"Very good." She pushed herself from the wall and sauntered over to where Severus stood, walking around him as though she were sizing him up. The diminutive American's words from earlier rang loud in his head: _A lion stalking an antelope. _

"You surprise me. That doesn't happen very often."

Severus tried to appear board with her act, but the way she moved around him was making him nervous. He didn't like games.

She finally stopped, standing directly in front of him and placing a hand on his chest, moving icy fingers with slow, delicate circles. Her vibrant red lips were parted and her eyes hooded as she leaned closer. It was meant to be sensual, and he supposed that most men would easily fall into to such charms. But he wasn't most men.

In a single, quick movement, he snagged her wrists, thrusting her hands away with a disgusted sneer. "If I cared at all for necrophilia, I've little doubt I could dig up much more appealing options."

The smile disappeared instantly from her face and before Severus could blink, she had him by the throat, pinning him to wall.

"Don't want to play? Fine! I'll simply drain you and be done." She leaned in so that her lips grazed his ear and Severus was forced to stifle a shudder. "Pity, though. I could have made this _very _pleasurable for you."

Severus cursed internally. He'd forgotten how bloody strong vampires were and he was not pleased with his suddenly vulnerable station. He could hear her teeth slid out with a distinct _shnck _and he knew he had to work fast. With a snap of his wrist he exposed the wand he'd held tightly in his grasp and pressed it into throat.

"Wizard!" She hissed. Jerking back and looking truly frightened for the first time.

Severus used the opportunity to flip, reversing their position so that it was her back to the wall.

She grappled madly for a moment but put little strength behind it before stilling completely.

"How very observant of you. It's a shame you didn't notice before threatening me." He pressed his wand harder into the soft tissue of her neck eliciting a satisfying, distressed hiss from her. "But if you answer my question, I will gladly walk away without so much as letting one sunburst hex fly."

She bared her teeth but nodded.

This was it, what he had been waiting for, and he wasn't about to waste any more time.

"Where is Ulrich?"

Her eyes widened briefly before she schooled her expression. It was quick, but Severus was an acute observer. "I don't know any _Ulrich_." She spat.

Severus chuckled, but it wasn't a joyous, mirthful sound, it was low and menacing. "Wrong answer." He dug the wand tip into her neck. "I'll give you one more chance. Where is Ulrich?"

"I don't know!" She shouted this time, sucking in a sharp breath, narrowing her eyes before focusing on a spot just over Severus' shoulder.

And he felt it, a presence, mere moments before a wicked grin spread across her crimson lips. Someone was behind him and the realization made his blood run cold even before she looked directly into his eyes and spoke words that likely spelled his very doom.

"He's right behind you." She whispered before giggling like a mad school girl.

Without letting her go, Severus spun, sending his black coat into flurry. He pulled the vampire so that her back was at his chest, never moving the wand from her throat.

There he faced three men. No, not men, _vampires. _And each decidedly more imposing then the one he currently held.

"Shit!"

They moved to surround him on three sides, their expressions ranging from slightly amused to murderously enraged. He took a solid step back and now it he who was, quite literally, up against the wall.

"Stay back or she dies."

Severus' threat was met with derisive laughter from two and low growl from the third. It had been a long shot; vampires were not known for their loyalty.

The one in the middle moved forward, long, dark tresses hung messily over his shoulders obscuring the old, graphic tee he wore. He looked ridiculous, but Severus supposed he'd fit right in with the other patrons of the bar. "Go ahead. She's not been overly useful anyway. In fact…"

He twisted the female vampire easily out of Severus' grasp – a little too easily – and began to squeeze her neck.

She clawed desperately at his hands. "Ulrich….please…" she choked, and Severus' gaze shot to his face.

_Ulrich. _This is who he'd been searching for. This was the liaison between the vampires and the Dark Lord. Even considering his position, he could hardly suppress a short, smug smile.

Ulrich shook her violently. "Shut up, you bent!"

Severus realized that now might be his only opportunity for escape. The vampires were moderately distracted and while he knew there would be no pushing passed them, he could use the opportunity to apperate.

But if he did that, the chances of finding Ulrich again could be slim. And he had worked so hard to find the elusive vampire. Did he stay and try to get the information he needed and risk dying at the hands of a creature he loathed, or did he run now and likely never find out the truth?

Stay or go….Stay or…

And just as Severus begrudgingly recognized the futility of staying to fight three very strong and very pissed off vampires; just as he began the twist that would take him from the ally and into safety, the ally door swung open and walk…or, more accurately fell, a small figure.

He instantly stopped his movement as the breath caught in his throat. He groaned inwardly as he recognized that the intruder was the little blonde from earlier.

_Of all the fucking, bloody stupid… _He wanted to scream out his frustration!_ What the hell was she doing!_

She giggled girlishly as she stumbled into the alleyway and when five set of eyes shot her way, she looked only moderately embarrassed. "Oops." She slurred, obviously having imbibed a significant amount of liquor since his first, brief meeting with her.

The door slammed shut with an echoing thud, causing her to jump. She turned to the door and pressed a finger to her lip. "Shhh." Before giggling all the harder.

"Well what do we have here?" Ulrich released the female vampire, turning fully towards the intruder while Severus considered his options. He should go, no one would be quick enough to stop him now. But that would leave the blonde American.

_Would serve her right. _He thought even as he raised his wand ready to strike out.

He moved quickly, his hand a blur, but the vampires were, unfortunately, faster. And the two males _who_ _weren't Ulrich_ had him pinned before he could utter a single incantation.

So, not only had he forgotten how strong vampires could be, he'd forgotten how fast they were as well. Now he felt like the idiot.

The blonde whirled about, barely keeping her balance. Her hazy eyes wondered lazily across each one of the alley's inhabitants before they settled on the struggling Severus. "Hey! I know you." She said accusingly with a lopsided grin on her face.

And then she finely seemed to take in the fact that he was being detained and she frowned. "M' I interrupting somethin'?"

The vampires laughed, all save for the female who rubbed her throat.

Even sober there was no way this muggle woman would stand a chance against a single vampire. Forget four! He had to get her out of there. But how, exactly, he was to do that, he hadn't a clue.

"Hardly." Severus sneered, making a half-hearted attempt to shove off his captors. "Now move it along. The party is inside."

He didn't know if the vampires would let the foolish girl walk away, but he had to try.

"Oh?" She said, looking slightly put out. "No need ta be rude! Jus' lookin' for a little fun." She spoke slow, deliberately, as though trying not to slur her words. She failed, however, and it only aided in making her sound more inebriated.

"Go away!" Severus attempted to shout, but didn't quite manage the words before he was interrupted by Ulrich.

"There's plenty of fun to be had out here, love." He moved towards the newest arrival in slow, predatory strides. "Much better than what's going on inside."

One of the vampires holding Severus loudly agreed, while the other growled yet again. _Eloquent, that one. _

"You need to leave!" He attempted again, earning him an angry scowl from several sources, including the blonde, and Severus realized that he was in a terrible position to help her. At this point he doubted he could help himself.

_Could this possibly get any worse?_

"You don't want to party with me?" The blonde said, looking dejected, sad even. But Severus' eyes narrowed, for underneath the slight hurt of her expression there was something nearly mocking in the shine of her eyes. Something that made him swallow slowly. "But I can be an awful lot of fun."

Ulrich was nearly toe to toe with her now, but so much taller that he leaned over her as he spoke. "I bet you are a whole lot of fun."

He reached out slowly as though to caress her face, but she leaned back and grimaced. "You know, before we get this party started, you may want to consider a breath mint."

The comment was so unexpected that Ulrich stood fully and rigidly and this was followed by a moment of resounding silence. But then the female vampire snorted, and one of the men who held tight to Severus' arm bowed his head and snickered.

If the blonde noticed the tense change in the atmosphere, she didn't acknowledge it. "You're in luck, 'cause I think I have some gum in my purse here…" She proceeded to dig through the over-sized bag that dangled from her shoulder. "Wait…I know it's here somewhere..."

The snigger from behind him increased to a full out laugh and Ulrich turned to the other vampire and hissed. "This is not funny."

"No, it _really _isn't." The blonde agreed, momentarily looking up from her search. "Halitosis is an early sign of periodontal disease. And besides that, it's just…gross. I agree. No laughing matter."

Ulrich growled, and Severus could hear the decent of his teeth even as he roughly grabbed the blonde.

"Hey now!" She furrowed her brow but, in Severus' opinion, didn't look nearly as upset as she should. Perhaps if she realized she was about to die, she'd have the sense to look a little frightened. "No need to manhandle. Besides, your hands are kind of greasy." She leaned in conspiratorially, apparently choosing to ignore the death-glare she was receiving. "You know, maybe we should have just a general discussion about personal hygiene 'cause, I gotta tell you, between the hands, the breath and that god-awful clumpy hair, am guessing you're having a hard time picking up any lady friends."

Ulrich half growled, half shouted as he gave her a solid shove. She fell backwards, but he must not have used much strength for she straightened herself out quickly enough even considering her drunken state.

"Or _guy _friends! Geesh! No need to be sensitive…"

She brushed off her clothing before lifting her head and slowly pulling her hand from her bag. She smiled then, a brilliant flash of white teeth, but she was no longer looking at Ulrich. No, her eyes fell directly on Severus. "Oh look." She said, straightening without falter, legs slightly parted, shoulders squared back. The haze was gone from her eyes and she sounding suddenly very sober. "I found what I was looking for."

And then she moved. It was so fast that Severus could hardly make out what was happening. He could remember being thrown back…discarded…as all four vampires lunged. He stumbled backwards and tried to get a grasp on what, exactly, was happening.

He looked up in time to watch her land a solid kick to Ulrich's chest, sending him flying back into the female. The other two were on her in an instant, one slamming himself into her. She slid back, but what able to regain her footing just in time to thrust something long and pointed into her assaulters chest.

The vampire burst into a flurry of dust just as Severus realized what it was she had pulled from her bag. Not chewing gum, but a wooden stake.

If he had been suspicious of the vampires, it was nothing compared to how he felt towards the blonde at that moment.

She landed a series of blows to one of the other male vampire's face, the movements so fast that Severus could hardly see them, but she was interrupted by Ulrich who lifted her and tossed her roughly into the garbage bin, sending it loudly into the bricks.

Severus shook off his surprise and jumped up as the three remaining vampires seemed to form some semblance of a strategy. They were crouched as they moved slowly towards her, Severus, apparently, forgotten. The girl groaned as she pulled herself from the cold, hard ground.

"Ewe." She scrunched her nose and pulled a bit a wet paper from her hair before scowling in almost child-like manner at three very angry vampires who were now approaching her. "You're actually going to come at me all at once? You guys almost never do that."

The female vampire chose that moment to fly through the air towards her. Severus hurriedly aimed his wand. "Solarious!" And a bright, orange ball of light flew from the tip of his wand, striking the vampire and causing her to burst into dust.

Ulrich and his one remaining counterpart cringed away from the light and the blonde whirled on them, driving her stake into the heart of one before spinning in a brilliant, nimble display to drive it into the chest of the last one...Ulrich.

She didn't move, but stood crouched as the vampire dust fell around her. Her chest heaved, but only moderately, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her eyes snapped towards Severus and she slowly lowered the stake and relaxed her posture.

"That was pretty neat." She said, nodding towards his wand.

But her words barely registered as he took it the dissipating motes of vampire dust.

_What just happened? Had this woman – this tiny, muggle woman wearing a pink top - killed three vampires with nothing more than a wooden stake?_

_She killed the vampires. She killed ALL the vampires. She killed…_

"Dammit!"

He couldn't help the swear any more than he could help the sneer he shot her way. She killed Ulrich!

Her shoulders slouched and she had the audacity to pout. "Not exactly what I was hoping for."

"Oh?" Severus stalked towards her, growing angrier with each step. "And what exactly _were _you hoping for?"

She shrugged. "Is a _'thank you' _too much to ask for? I mean, I did save your life."

Severus sputtered for a moment. She had _kind of _saved his life, however, he was fairly certain that he could have gotten away. And if she hadn't showed up, the vampire he'd spent weeks hunting down, the one who worked closely with the Dark Lord, the one who knew his secrets…his whereabouts…wouldn't be a pile of dust!

"Hardly!" He shouted. "You killed the one creature that….." He sighed, his shoulders slumping, but he never took his stone hard gaze from the blonde's face. "I needed one of them alive."

"Oh." She looked a little sheepish but shrugged it off a little too quickly.

"And in case you don't already realize it, I did not _need _your help." He pointedly raised his wand.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, the one called Ulrich….he wouldn't have been able to tell you anything."

Severus scoffed, ready to argue. He needed an outlet for his building frustration, and the woman before him seemed a fine outlet. But he faltered as he considered her words. "And how would you know what I need and whether or not he'd have been able to help. Not that it matters now…"

She shrugged, brushing dust from her top with a disgusted wrinkle of her nose. "I've been tracking his coven for a while. He wasn't their leader."

"What?" This was news to Severus and he wasn't sure which he wanted to question more: the fact that she had been tracking a coven of vampires, or the bit about Ulrich not being the coven leader.

Luckily, she chose for him.

"Yea, he was the _pretend _coven leader. Big covens do that sometimes…ya know…to throw people off."

Severus frowned. No he hadn't known.

She walked forwards and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. A lot of people would have made the same mistake."

He flinched away from her touch, but she either didn't notice or didn't care. "Well, as nice as it was to meet you, and as cool as the whole stick-shooting-sunlight thing was…I gotta run."

She turned to leave the ally, but Severus reached out to grab her by the elbow. She turned, her eyes clearly warning him not to touch.

He ignored her. He had a lot of questions, not the least of which was exactly _how _she'd managed to do what she did, but he decided to focus on only those important to him now. "Why were you tracking these vampires?"

She eyed his hand pointedly until he removed it. She seemed to think for a moment, then shrugged. "They have information I need too."

Severus wondered briefly at this. He raised a brow and folded his arms in the same way he would when waiting for an explanation from one of his students.

And just as it would with the children of Hogwarts, the woman shifted uncomfortably.

"There's something going on. People are dying, and the reason is not exactly…natural." She said at length.

"And you believe that London's vampire population knows something about this?"

She shrugged. "Of course they do. I don't think they're the cause, exactly, but they know what's going on. Vampire's like…badness… They'll know something even if they're not directly involved."

Severus had to resist a strong urge to berate her on her horrendous use of the English language. "And how do you expect to learn anything from them if you…" He waved his hand about to indicate the remains of their recent encounter.

She smiled a bit too smugly for Severus' liking. "I followed these guys because I was bored and needed something to do tonight. I didn't need to question them because I know who they answer to. Who they _really _answer to."

Severus sucked in a breath and now it was her turn to cross her arms with eyebrow raised. If she did have this information, Severus needed it, and something in her stance made him think that she was well aware of this fact.

"Who?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Listen, I don't know who you are or why you're chasing around vampires, but they're dangerous and you have no business…"

He cut her off with an angry scowl. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself…"

"That's not what it looked like earlier."

"I had a plan!"

"Look! I'm not arguing with you."

Severus huffed out a breath and fought the urge to hex the woman. The gall of _her _trying to protect _him_! It was utter nonsense.

And she was trying to protect him, wasn't she? Perhaps he could work that to his advantage. He wasn't a master spy for nothing.

He smiled and relaxed a bit, twirling his wand lazily. "What is it you are hoping to learn from these…creatures?"

"I told you. There's some super creepy things going on in your city, and I'm here to put a stop to it."

He arched a brow at that. "Oh? What kind of things?"

She sighed. "Deaths, disappearances, fires. Things that the authorities keep chalking up to botched burglaries and old boilers, but I know better. There's a pattern. A reason."

He didn't asked why she thought that, he was too caught up in the fact that she was so completely aware. He knew what she was speaking of, and he knew that she was right.

"And you're going to find the culprit and put a stop to it?" His tone was mocking, and she narrowed her eyes in response before turning to walk away yet again.

"What If I could tell you _who _is responsibly?"

Severus had to shout after her retreating form and she stopped dead, turning abruptly to face him.

"What?"

He rolled his eyes. "I know the occurrences that you speak of and I know who is responsible."

And suddenly she right in front of him, small hands wrapped tightly around his collar and she glared intensely up at him. She had moved so fast that Severus was caught completely unaware. Still, it was funny to be confronted by someone so small; the top of her head barely reached his chin. "Tell me."

Severus attempted brushed off her hands, but she didn't budge, so he chose instead to snort. "No."

It was the wrong thing to say, and Severus realized this as he felt his whole body be turned and pressed against the nearest surface, which happened to be the displace dumpster.

"Tell me."

He pursed his lips and attempted to ignore the jabbing pain of the prodding, metal canister. That was going to leave a bruise. "I will not simply tell you."

The look she threw him was dangerous, but even in his obviously precarious position, he managed to slough it off.

She loosened her grip but only slightly. "What are you saying?"

He sighed, a bored, put-out kind of sound. "You have information I need."

"A trade?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "And finally she catches on! Has anyone ever told you how astute you are?"

She let go of him, apparently undeterred by his comments. "Okay. I'll give you the low down the true vampy badass. I'll even tell you where to find him. And you tell me who the big bad is so that I can put a stop to his evilness."

Again Severus had to hold his tongue. Was that even English? He almost said as much, but chose instead to straighten his shirt.

And then he stared and waited.

There was no way he was giving his information up first. She seemed to realize this and frowned. "They call him Bishop. He's old and strong and very rarely leaves his den."

Severus nodded, fighting the urge to smile. "And where is this…den?"

"Whitechapel…sewers…right under Saint James' Pass." She smiled and perked up almost instantly. "You're turn."

Severus thought to leave, but he _did_ kind of owe her. After all, she _sort of_ save his life and she had provided him with information that could have taken him weeks to procure on his own.

And it wasn't as though she could do anything with the name he was about to give her.

Mind made up, he returned her smile. "A dark wizard and his followers are responsible for the occurrences that you spoke about."

He eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "Dark wizard. That's a new one. What's his name? Where do I find him?"

"His name.." Severus cringed and his throat worked against him even as his tongue formed the syllables, "…is Voldimort." He let out a long sigh. "But I know not where he can be found."

"Is that all you know?"

"Well, he's of the darkest evil, nearly indestructible and has amassed a significant following so stopping him will probably be impossible."

"Evil and indestructible. Been there, done that. And even when the bad guy's really tough, it's never impossible." She said this matter-of-factly before shrugging. "Don't suppose I could talk you into not going after Bishop."

Severus snorted. "Not a chance."

She nodded. "Well, I guess I need to get their before you do then, huh?"

And with that she spun and ran.

It took a moment for Severus to get her meaning and he swore yet again and raced to the end of the ally. He looked left and then right, straight ahead and behind, but she was already gone.

She was fast, inhumanly so, but Severus smiled darkly. Unless she could apparate, the strange American blonde who had a penchant for slaying vampires wouldn't possibly make it there before him.

With a dark laugh he spun on the spot, thoughts of Whitechapel dancing through his head.

* * *

Gold star for whoever can guess who the petite, blonde, American vampire slayer is!

Okay, so, I am aware that this qualifies as a cross-over even if I don't actually _say _who the OC is. I am also aware that noncrossovers get more clicks.

Sneaky, arn't I?

This, however, is a one-shot which I could base a epic-ly awesome, full-length, multi-chapter work of fan fiction - that will go in crossover.

So, what did you think? Should I continue? Do you want to see more or should I scrap it?

If you _do _want a full-length novel, let me know and I can have something up really quick - in crossovers, where it belongs - and I will happily pm everyone who's interested so that you know where to find it. Furthermore, I promise to follow through with a steady stream of updates and I will never, ever, ever leave a story without completing it. I know how frustrating that can be.

Thanks for reading!


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